228:. It shares the landmark designation number 939, "Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments (Thematic)", with other examples of folk art in the state. Though no physical marker is present at the site of Possum Trot, the OHP gives the following description on its website: "Calvin and Ruby Black began building Possum Trot in 1954 as an attraction for their rock shop as well as an artistic expression. Calvin carved the dolls, each representing someone important in his life, and Ruby made clothes for them. The animated displays were designed to entertain visitors."
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ultimately carved 86 individual dolls, each given a nameplate and a distinct personality. Early dolls featured carved and painted hair, while later ones usually sported wigs. Some dolls were even sprayed with perfume. Black recorded dialogue for them, usually in falsetto, and individually wired some dolls with tape recorders. He performed alongside the dolls in his hand-constructed "Bird Cage
Theater" on the Possum Trot grounds. Outside the theater, Black constructed larger dolls that were animated using wind power to attract tourist attention.
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At the same time, Black began carving dolls from wood, making the bodies from redwood (he claimed in an interview that he would wait for cars to crash into telephone poles so he could salvage the wood) and the noses and limbs from pine. Ruby sewed dresses for the dolls from old clothes. Black
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Ruby Black died in 1980, and the collection, including not just the dolls but also hand-painted signs and other paraphernalia, quickly ended up in collectors' hands. Individual dolls have sold for up to $ 80,000.
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Calvin Black died in 1972, leaving Ruby behind to tend the store and theater. Despite Calvin's request to burn the dolls, Ruby kept the collection intact. In 1977, filmmakers
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dolls, often trying to win them at carnivals. In 1933 he married his wife Ruby (born 1915), and the couple moved to
California. They bought a plot of land near
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From Out of the Desert, Wooden Dolls Carve a Niche in Folk Art World : The
Reincarnation of Possum Trot Theater
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in 1953, nicknamed the land "Possum Trot", and began making a living selling rocks to tourists.
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287:– SPACES (Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments)
275:– Description of the documentary on Light-Sarah Films' website
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Office of
Historic Preservation - San Bernardino County
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220:The Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in the
173:Calvin Black was born on September 21, 1903, in
202:Possum Trot: The Life and Work of Calvin Black
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162:out of wood, with which he performed as a
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49:Location of Possum Trot in California
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285:Calvin & Ruby Black, Possum Trot
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354:20th-century American male artists
18:Historic site in Yermo, California
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349:20th-century American sculptors
281:– American Visionary Art Museum
245:California Historical Landmarks
206:National Endowment for the Arts
226:California Historical Landmark
216:California Historical Landmark
127:California Historical Landmark
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224:has designated Possum Trot a
222:California State Park system
154:(1903–1972) was an American
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297:Calvin Black's Possum Trot
291:Calvin Black (Possum Trot)
200:released the documentary
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344:Sculptors from Tennessee
158:known for carving large
89:34.925288°N 116.886627°W
279:Calvin & Ruby Black
204:with a grant from the
166:in California, called
94:34.925288; -116.886627
339:American folk artists
334:American woodcarvers
299:– DezertMagazine.com
293:– Kohler Foundation
164:roadside attraction
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134:Reference no.
308:Los Angeles Times
247:(private website)
183:Calico Ghost Town
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194:Allie Light
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156:folk artist
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80:116°53′12″W
68:Coordinates
24:Possum Trot
318:Categories
232:References
77:34°55′31″N
175:Tennessee
113:Architect
58:Location
179:Kewpie
160:dolls
105:Built
196:and
108:1954
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305:–
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